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Should the three remaining members of Led Zeppelin be knighted?


andyc

Should the three remaining members of Led Zeppelin be knighted?  

114 members have voted

  1. 1. Should they receive MBE/OBE's for services to music

    • Yes
      93
    • No
      21


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The Beatles got OBE's in 1965.

In June 1965, the Beatles were included on the Queen's birthday honors list. Although her actual birthday is in April, the official birthday is observed in June in hopes of better weather. It rained...

The Beatles were named Members of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. They were honored along with 1800 other distinguished servants of the empire.

The Order of the British Empire was founded in 1917 and consists of five classes with the lowest being Member (MBE). The MBE ranks 120th among the 126 titles of precedence in Britain. There was no special attention to the Beatles in the honors list; each of the four names appeared in alphabetical order, for example, "G. Harrison, member of the Beatles." The list gave Ringo's real name, Richard Starkey, in parentheses. Somebody told George he was the youngest person to get the award. The award permits them to add the three letters M.B.E. after their names. It also makes them esquires, the rank below knight, and allows them to use the word "esquire" after their names. [Getting a little crowded back there?] It allows them to wear the rose-pink satin sash of the order.

Thousands of Britons were incensed, including former recipients, newspaper writers, politicians and the magazine Tailor and Cutter (the bible of British tailoring.) Six veterans returned their decorations, one calling the Beatles "vulgar nincompoops." Although a medal could be returned, the holder still kept the honor and remained on the roll. [This was true for John as well, in 1969.] The question of why the Beatles were installed in the Order of the British Empire was debated in both houses of Parliament, with questions directed to Prime Minister Harold Wilson since he recommended their names to the Queen. The Prime Minister plays the major role in submitting names for the royal honors.

Besides faithful service to Britain, the awards were given traditionally for excellence in the arts or professions. The Beatles were the first group of pop singers to make the honors list, although other entertainers - actors, dancers and singers - had often been named in the preceding years. The Queen did not see fit to elaborate on the motive behind honoring the Beatles.

[Given the uproar over the inclusion of the Beatles on the honors list, you would think the other honorees must have had much more illustrious credentials. Who were these 1800 world-changers? In all of these articles together, only four were mentioned, two by name.] Other new MBEs include two of Winston Churchill's secretaries. His senior secretary Browne was made a CBE, the third rank in the order. Actor-singer Frankie Vaughn was made an OBE, the fourth rank, one above MBE.

The investiture took place in October 1965 at Buckingham Palace. Beatle fans stormed the gates of the Palace in a hysterical effort to see the Queen honor their idols. Elizabeth decorated some 182 persons at the investiture, which was one of the ten that take place throughout the year. Ringo cut his hair; they all wore lounge suits instead of the more formal morning coats [those long black coats that make you look like, well, a big beetle.] Inside the ballroom, waiting for the Queen to arrive, some 50 other recipients of royal honors asked the Beatles for autographs. One old man said, "I want it for my daughter. I can't see what she sees in you."

Paul replied, "She must have her reasons," and the old man stormed off.

The Beatles entered the great gilded throne room. The Queen stood on a dais and smiled at the four boys. At a signal from an usher, they bowed their mopheads, took four paces forward, halted before her and bowed again. The lord chamberlain called their four names. With a twinkle in her blue eyes, the Queen pinned the insignia - the medals are called "gongs" - on the four and shook hands. [Another account said she handed them their decorations.] "It's a pleasure to give you this," she said.

When the Queen reached Ringo she asked, "Are you the one who started it all?"

"No, ma'am," he replied. "I was the last to join. I'm the little fellow." The Queen gave them another smile. Aware that this was the signal to go, they walked backward four paces, turned smartly to the right and walked out of the throne room. Afterwards, they chorused, "She's great."

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I said no, because I think only Jimmy should be. Always the guitarist! He already has the OBE, but come ooooon: Sir Michael Phillip Jagger, Sir Elton John (Reginald Dwight), Sir James Paul McCartney....... Sir James Patrick Page sounds awesome. And I think Keef should have been knighted rather than Mick, but he'd never accept....

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New Year's honours list announced

OBE for Kylie Minogue for services to music! :'(

Jethro Tull frontman Ian Anderson (MBE) and Jazzie B (OBE).

Of course, nominees can refuse honours without any official announcement, so it's possible that members of Led Zeppelin have been offered honours in the past and said "no thanks", and we'd never know. Jimmy's OBE was for his charity work, of course.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I suppose that me not being English is the reason I view this honor as not very important (to musicians anyway). I think Jimmy should have as he did receive such honors for his charity work.

But-on account of their music Led Zeppelin can't receive it- in my opinion (a very humble one indeed) such an honor really has little if nothing to do with music.

To me no award on the planet can describe what their music did- and we all saw for ourselves that the Zep got bad raps at their hey-days…worse even if we consider papers like Rolling Stone or any other awards that have ignored them at best.

The best award is the powerful change and inspiration they brought- I think we the fans have given them the greatest respect.

I mean what's bigger? To be a knight? Or to know that almost every single band and countless musicians see you as their inspiration?

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